[vicsireland] BBC news Technology - Computer memory heralds green PCs
- From: "Flor Lynch" <florlync@xxxxxx>
- To: <vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 23:44:56 -0000
25 January 2011 Last updated at 11:21 GMT
A new form of computing memory which could lead to faster starting,
user-friendly computers has been developed by US researchers.
The device, developed by a team at North Carolina State University,
claims to combine the advantages of two commons forms of memory used
today.
The "unified" memory device,
outlined in the journal IEEE Computer,
is still undergoing testing.
But the team believe it could form the basis of PCs that start
immediately.
Permanent speed
Currently, computers rely on two distinct forms of memory: volatile and
non-volatile.
The type of memory used depends on whether data needs to be accessed
quickly or stored permanently.
Volatile technologies such as random access memory (RAM) or its newer
variation DRAM, store data in such a way that it can be read and written
rapidly,
making it ideal for rapid computations. But the data is lost when the
power is switched off.
By contrast, non-volatile memory devices, such as the flash drives found
in memory cards, USB dongles and MP3 players, can retain information for
long periods
without power.
But the device created by Dr Paul Franzon and his team combines the
speed of DRAM while being able to switch to a more persistent mode of
storage.
That would potentially enable computer makers to build machines that
boot up almost instantly, as the information needed to start up the
machine could be
stored in fast memory, said Dr Franzon.
It could also lead to servers that can be powered down, when not in use.
Currently, the servers found in most data centres continue to slurp
energy even when their processors are idle because the server memory
cannot be turned
off without affecting performance.
Lasting memory
The device developed by Dr Franzon's team - known as a double
floating-gate field effect transistor - stores data in the form of a
charge, like non-volatile
memory but uses a special control gate to enable the stored data to be
accessed quickly.
Today's flash memory devices use a single floating gate to store an
electric charge, which represents data. "We realised that a second gate
would allow
us to transfer charges really quickly," said Dr Frazon.
His team have shown they can transfer charges - in effect change the
data - in around 15 nanoseconds. "That's comparable with DRAM speeds,"
he added.
When in non-volatile mode, the data will be stored safely for a couple
of years.
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- » [vicsireland] BBC news Technology - Computer memory heralds green PCs - Flor Lynch